Trees are budding as Wick experiences 'unseasonally mild temperatures'
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With buds appearing on some trees and shrubs, a local weather pundit calls the temperatures in Wick 'exceptional'.
Weather watcher Keith Banks said that in spite of overcast skies on Saturday (December 16) the mercury climbed to 12.9C (55.2F) in Wick. He adds that Sunday "was even milder", with a top air temperature of 13.4C (56.1F). The highest air temperature recorded to date for December in Wick is 14.2C (57.6F) noted on December 7, 2016.
"The exceptionally mild maximum temperature logged in Wick on Sunday is put into context when analysis of the town's records for maximum air temperatures for a series of Decembers stretching back to 1910 revealed that Sunday's maximum was Wick's 4th warmest December day to date. The fact that this value occurred in the absence of any sunshine makes it all the more remarkable.
"The average maximum air temperature for Wick in December is just 6.79C (44.2F).
"Overnight temperatures over the weekend were also exceptional with values for much of the 12 hours ending 6am on Saturday the 16th exceeding 11C (51.8F). The mercury even climbing briefly to 12.0C (53.6F) before the end of the period. The lowest value the mercury fell to on the night of 15th/16th December was 9.7C (49.5F). The fact that the average overnight minimum for July in Wick is 10.11C (50.2F), puts the mildness of that night into compelling context.
"The average overnight minimum air temperature for Wick in December is 1.74C (35.1F).
"Much cooler Atlantic air arrived on Sunday night behind a cold front and this change of airmass was betrayed by an overnight minimum of 4.1C (39.4F).
"Rainfall was unremarkable. This was caused by a phenomenon called the 'rain shadow effect'. The total recorded over the weekend was a meagre 2.8mm (0.11 of an inch).
"The spell of unusual wildness was caused by a large anticyclone centred over western Europe. This feature blocked and diverted the usual west to east progression of the Atlantic expressions and their rain bearing fronts creating a very broad south-westerly airflow across the far north of Scotland, that sourced sub tropical air from as far away as the Azores and the Canary Islands."
